General discussion related to all railroad clubs, museums, tourist and scenic lines. Generally this covers museums with static displays, museums that operate excursions, scenic lines that have museums, and so on. Check out the Tourist Railway Association (TRAIN) for more information.

I see that there is a NYC-based railroad group: the Electric Railroaders' Association: http://www.erausa.org/.

I don't get why it's just for electrified railroads only, but is it a group worth joining? I'm just interested in seeing how railroads actually work and getting connections in the field. No interest if it's a bunch of oddball train geeks. (I have plenty of friends interested in transportation, but they're all interested in aviation only.)

The ERA has always been about mass transit via electricty. There used to be many sub-groups around the country. Now just a few left.An infrequent publication "Headlights" is an excelent read/view.They meet once a month (3rd Friday of the month) & typically have a show (slides, movies, powerpoint).NYC subways is a frequent topic, but other transit systems from around the World are frequently the topic.I'm not a member but belong to four trolley museums (2 in CT, 1 in ME & 1 in IL).

I'm a member of the NY Division of E.R.A. and yes, they are an interesting group who hold meetings, sell publications, and make announcements regarding fan trips and tours. You'll get their periodical magazine which usually comes with flyers to railfan based activities in the NY area as well as the parent E.R.A.'s "Headlights" Magazine. Also, the parent national E.R.A. Convention, held annually at various locations in the U.S., is a great event, always having great entertainment, food, and speakers. They have sustained my interest in them these many years to prevent me from dropping out so that should say something, I guess.

~Paul Joyce~[i]Moderator: Toy Trains, Model Railroading, Outdoor and Live SteamPaul Joyce passed away in August, 2013. We honor his memory and his devotion at railroad.net.